Cannonball Read 13

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

| Log in
  1. Follow us on Facebook
  2. Follow us on Twitter
  3. Follow us on Instagram
  4. Follow us on Goodreads
  5. RSS Feeds

  • Home
  • About
    • About CBR
    • Getting Started
    • Cannon Book Club
    • Diversions
    • Fan Mail
    • Holiday Book Exchange
    • Book Bingo Reading Challenge
    • Participation Badges
    • AlabamaPink
  • Our Team
    • Leaderboard
    • The CBR Team
    • Recent Comments
    • CBR Interviews
    • Our Volunteers
    • Meet MsWas
  • Categories
    • Review Genres
    • Tags
  • Fight Cancer
    • How We Fight Cancer
    • How You Can Donate
    • Book Sale
    • CBR Merchandise
    • Supporters and Friends of CBR
  • FAQ
  • Contact
    • Contact Form
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Follow Us
> FAQ Home
> Genre: Fiction > Not a book for me.

Not a book for me.

Memorial by Bryan Washington

February 22, 2021 by narfna 1 Comment

I really need to stop ordering the lit-fic option from Book of the Month. It so very rarely ends well.

The premise here is that Mike and Benson are a couple. Mike is a chef and Benson is a daycare worker. Mike’s father is dying of cancer, and so he decides one day to go to Japan to mend their relationship, leaving Benson alone in their one bedroom apartment with his visiting mother, who only arrived that morning, also from Japan. Also, their relationship is on the rocks.

This is a tough one. Bryan Washington is clearly talented. When I was reading through this, it pulled me along even when I wasn’t enjoying myself in that way that well-written books have even if you don’t like what’s going on in the story. Trying to make a relationship work isn’t my favorite story archetype to begin with, and while there were moments I loved (mostly to do with Mitsuko, Mike’s mom, who develops quite a sweet if cantankerous relationship with Benson, mostly centered around cooking) I can’t get beyond how this novel would not exist if the main characters would just open up their mouths and speak to one another. They are just two emotionally constipated men who need to spend time reflecting on their own damn emotions and then communicate those emotions to their partner. I just had NO patience for any of it.

There were also times that I felt real contempt for Mike. His cheating really turned me off (just don’t have sex with any more dudes, or break up with Benson you fucker!) though Benson (again, emotionally constipated) seems content with letting it slide. But the moment that I really turned on him came when he asked Benson to move in with him, and then when he was actually there, felt disgust for him. I’m just like, fuck you dude. Learn your own mind before you go making commitments to people who love you.

It was a real struggle for me to finish this one. I don’t really recommend it, unless for some reason you like reading about emotionally constipated men who never really get over their constipation and also have daddy issues.

Filed Under: Fiction Tagged With: BIPOC, Bryan washington, Japan, LGBTQIA, lit-fic, literary, memorial, narfna, Texas

narfna's CBR13 Review No:12 · Genres: Fiction · Tags: BIPOC, Bryan washington, Japan, LGBTQIA, lit-fic, literary, memorial, narfna, Texas ·
Rating:
· 1 Comment

About narfna

CBR13 participantCBR13 CommentsCBR12 participantCBR11 participantCBR10 participantCBR  9CBR 8CBR 7CBR 6CBR 5CBR 4

Good evening, everyone. I'm Leslie Monster, and this is Nightline. View narfna's reviews»

Comments

  1. Scootsa1000 says

    February 22, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    Every time I see this on a Best Of list or featured in a bookstore window, all I can do is wonder if they all read the same book that I did

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Recent Comments

  • Dense on Holy MolyThank you, Zinka 🙂 I'd forgotten that feeling, that no other environment would do but ultimate comfort, for that kind of engrossing read. So rewarding...
  • Zinka on Holy MolyI meant to also say I love your review of it as well
  • Zinka on Holy MolyI loved this read! It was one of those books I started later at night then I should have and the stayed up all night...
  • andtheIToldYouSos on “Mama always knew the wrong thing to say.”oooh! great news!!!!! I had not heard that, so thank you! and yes, I'll put up with SO much musical nonsense, but I have much...
  • llamareadsbooks on Twisty mystery and snarky humorIf you like paranormal romance, especially first-person POV with super messy characters, you'll love this series!
See More Recent Comments »

Want to Help Out?

CBR has a great crew of volunteers, and we're always looking for more people to help out. If you have a specialty or are willing to learn, drop MsWas a line.

  • How You Can Donate
  • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Volunteers
  • Leaderboard
  • AlabamaPink
  • Contact

Help Our Mission

You can donate to CBR via:

  1. PayPal
  2. Venmo
  3. Google Pay
© 2021 Cannonball Read | Log in